Yes, this is a very old word.  But HOOVER did not think of it as a bad word.  They thought of it as a "reminder" to keep on their toes and stay strong against other companies and other salesmen.  They believed in their machine and believed that they could demo the HOOVER to "Mrs. Housewife" better than the next vacuum cleaner salesman.

The word "bojack" was coined by HOOVER reps and is a union of two words: bogus and jacks_ _t.  Typically, HOOVER reps used the words "bogus" to describe other vacuums and parts that were not HOOVER and/or genuine HOOVER.  And jacks_ _ t to describe the worth and performance of these vacuums and parts in comparison to HOOVER.  Eventually during door-to-door HOOVER sales and HOOVER sales meetings, HOOVER reps said "bojack" and the word struck.  The word became part of the US vacuum industry vernacular.
 
Carmine D.